Planter



(N0 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. 0. EVANS.

PLANTER. No. 526,521. Patented Sept. 25, 1894.

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.L. G. EVANS.v PLANTER.

No. 526,521. Patented se t. 25, 1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT Gl sten.

LOUIS o. EVANS, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 526,521, datedSeptember 25, 1894.

Application filed June 18, 1894- Serial No. 514,363. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS O. EVANS,a citizen of the United States,residingat Spring field, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Planters, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in planters, and it especiallyrelates to one horse planters of the drill type.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, cheap and eifectivemethod of driving the seed mechanism, the driving devices being capableof adjustment so as to readily shift the same so as to throw the seeddevices inor out of gear, and at the same time be capable of adjustmentto drive the feeding devices at different rates of speed. I attain theseobjects by the constructions shown in the accompanying drawings, inWhich-- Figure 1 is a plan view of a device embodying my invention. Fig..2 is a partial plan view of a portion of the frame showing a portion ofthe driving connections. Fig. 3 isa detail view of the driving wheel.Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the planter. Fig. 5 is a sectional viewthrough the main shaft and driving wheel, and Fig. 6 a detail view of'aportion of the clutch operating mechanism.

Like parts are represented by similar letters of reference throughoutthe several views.

In the said drawings, a or represent a frame, which is preferably formedof iron and is adapted to support all the operating parts.

' b is a seed hopper and c, the driving wheel; a a being handlesconnected to the frame for guiding the planter in the usual manner. Themain driving wheel 0 is secured to a shaft 0, which is journaled at eachend in suitable bearings c secured to the main frame a a. )n this shaft0' is mounted loosely a coneshaped sprocket wheel (1, having a series ofdriving perimeters constituting in effect sprocket wheels of differentdiameters. This cone-shaped sprocket d, as before stated, is placedlooselyon the shaft, and is formed at one side with a clutch face at andon the other side with a spring 01 The end of the cone- Shaped sprocket,which is provided with a clutch face (1', rests in its normal conditionagainst the hub of the wheel 0, in which position it is firmly held bythe spring (1 A sprocket chain d is adapted to communicate motion fromthe cone-shaped sprocket device to a sprocket wheel 01 on acountershaftd, arranged in suitable bearings under the hopper h, and provided with abeveled gear (i which meshes with a suitable gear on the seed plate inthe usual way so as to communicate motion thereto.

The sprocket wheel d is mounted ad ustably on the shaft (1 which isprovided w th a series of openings 11; a pin d passing through the hubof the sprocket wheel (1 being adapted to secure said sprocket wheel indifferent positions of adjustment corresponding to the difierent holesat, so as to bring said sprocket wheel (1 in line witheither of thedriving faces of the cone (1; the chain (1 being adapted to be shiftedto the difierent driving faces so as to rotate the shattdf at diiferentspeeds in relation to the driving wheel, the chain being lengthened orshortenedto fit the sprockets of different diameters by inserting orremoving one or more links in the ordinary manner, the chain employedbeing the usual detachable link sprocket chain in common use.

In order to provide means for throwing the driving mechanism in or outof gear, and at the same time accommodate the cone-shaped sprocket andretain the driving shaft 0 in a central position within the frame, Iemploya peculiarly shaped clutch device, which consists essentially of aspider 6, having a series of clutch fingers e, which project outwardlyfrom a main hub or body and are beveled at their outer ends tocorrespond to the clutch face at on the end of the cone-shaped sprocketd. This spider c is further provided at the other end with a disk ewhich is embraced at one side by the bifurcated end of a bellcrank levere pivoted at e to a suitable support'on the frame a a, and connected atthe other end to a rod e which extends backwardly and is provided with ahandle a in proximity to one of the handles a. This handle e is furtherprovided with an opening e", having notched depressions e therein,

too

adapted to engage with a pin e on the handle a, and hold said handle indifierent positions of longitudinal adjustment.

The driving wheel 0, around the hub thereof, is provided with a seriesof openings 0 corresponding in shape and size to the fingers e of thespider c, said fingers being adapted to be reciprocated through saidopenings so as to contact with the clutch faces or to be withdrawntherefrom as desired. It will be seen now, that by lifting the rod 6longitudinally by means of the handle e the bellcrank lever e willoperate on the disk 6 so as to withdraw the clutch fingers through theopenings 0 of the wheel a, andthus disengage the clutch face d of thecone-shaped. sprocket, and thus permit the cone-shaped sprocket toremain stationary while the wheel shaft and clutch and spider continueto revolve.

The construction described readily enables the driving wheel a to turnbackward without affecting the seed-ing mechanism, as in this case thecone-shaped sprocket will yield and permit the clutch face to ratchet ina wellknown manner so long as the wheel revolves in this direction; theclutch face being adapted to engage and cause the intermeshing parts torevolve together when moved in the opposite direction.

Having thus described my invention, I claim-- -1.- In a planter asdescribed, the combination with a supporting and driving wheel mountedon a shaft in suitable bearings, a cone-shaped sprocket on said shaftadjacent to said driving wheel, and a clutch face on said cone-shapedsprocket, a spider having projecting fingers corresponding tosaid clutchface, and openings in said driving wheel to correspond to thefingersofsaid spider, and

abell-crank lever connected to said spider the clutch fingers ofsaidspider toengage or said countershaft adapted to communicate motionto the seeding devices, a cone-shaped sprocket on said main shaft, andan adjustable sprocket wheel on said countershaft, a

sprocket chain passing over the sprocket devices on the respectiveshafts, a clutch face on one end of said cone-shaped sprocket nor mallyin contact with the hub of said driving wheel, and a spring on theopposite end of said sprocket which is loosely mounted on the mainshaft,.a clutch spider having projecting fingers extending throughopenings in the driving wheel so as to engage said clutch face,

and means for operating said bell-crank lever, substantially asspecified.

3. The combination with a main shaft, and

a driving wheel mounted thereon, a sprocket I wheel mounted loosely onsaid shaft and held in contact with the hub of the driving wheel bymeans of a spring, as described, a clutch face on said sprocket wheel, aspider having projecting fingers and passing through correspondingopenings in the driving wheel, a circular flange on said spider, abifurcated hell-crank lever to engage said flange, a connecting rod fromsaid bell-crank lever to a handle, and means, as described, for holdingsaid handle in difierent positions of adj ustment, substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof I have. hereunto set myhand this 8th day' of J une,A. D. 1894.

LOUIS. C. EVANS. I

Witnesses! ROBERT C. Ronenns, CHAS. I. WELoH.

